A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is a non-contact automatic identification technology for identifying an object automatically without contacting the object by attaching an RFID tag to the object to be identified and communicating with the RFID tag by using an RFID reader through transmission/reception of radio frequencies. The RFID technology can complement shortcomings of a bar code, which is a conventional automatic identification technology, and an optical letter recognition technology.
Therefore, RFID innovators expect development in building a distribution network and process by attaching the tag to a product and using RFID data. An ultimate purpose of the RFID technology is combining the RFID technology to conventional information systems in real-time by introducing the RFID data into an applicable business process of a corporation. Herein, the RFID middleware filters data continuously coming in from the RFID Tag reader and transmits the data to a specific application. However, since RFID data, which do not have information on an application field and an environment, do not give a specific meaning to the corporation information system, it is not possible to introduce the RFID data to the business process of the corporation flexibly.
This calls for a method for providing an interface with the corporation information system by generating an RFID event which is proper to a specific domain by giving the RFID data a business meaning to apply the RFID data to a predetermined rule before transmitting the RFID data to the corporation information system, and providing a modeling function of the rule to flexibly managing a change of an application field and an environment and providing a function related to an RFID action, which is related to a rule performance.
As an example of a prior art related to the present invention, U.S. Pat. No. 6,775,658, granted on Dec. 2, 1999, discloses “Notification by business rule trigger control” providing a user an alarm service by using a rule-based technology, and the prior art maximizes reuse and flexibility of the code by separating a business logic from an inside program source and forming the business logic as a business rule.
Although the prior art is very similar to the present invention in providing of a rule-based service, the prior art provides only a function for registering a simple alarm service and has a Common Object Request Broker (CORBA)-based architecture differently from the present invention. On the other hand, the present invention automates an RFID related business process by processing real-time data with a rule-based engine and interfacing them with the corporation information system. In short, whereas the prior technology provides a service adaptable to a business policy and an adaptability when there is a change of a domain, the present invention can maximize automation of the business process by generating a meaningful event in real-time information by using the RFID technology and providing the event to the corporation information system.